Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 569: Not Good!

Chapter 569: Chapter 569: Not Good!

Although the majority of those who currently hold office are still offspring of noble families, the momentum of the rise of individuals from poor families is astonishing. Especially since in recent years, the Imperial Academy began to open its doors to those from humble backgrounds, allowing more and more of them to enter officialdom and further squeeze the living space of noble family descendants.

Now with this opportunity to allow noble families to regain influence in the court, how could they not act?

Xue Ping was so certain that the situation in the Harem was as he expected, and that Consort Xu De was powerless to turn the tide, because he had reliable sources within the palace to inform him.

Feeling something amiss in the court that day, he returned to receive messages from spies in the palace, explaining the situation inside. The palace was now strictly controlled, and it was very difficult to pass messages out.

The spy had used special means to send this message at great risk. Afterwards, they temporarily cut off contact, waiting for the palace to relax its vigilance before sending more messages.

Only then did he feel relieved.

The former court was not peaceful, and neither was the Harem.

It was said that many servants in the Harem were punished, and everyone felt at risk.

And since Consort Xu De was confined, no one else managed the Harem affairs, and it seemed the Emperor had also forgotten this matter and had not arranged for a new consort to take charge.

The managers in various departments, with their mindsets alive, believed that since Consort Xu De had fallen, Noble Consort Xue would rise again. Those who expressed their loyalty early would surely be valued by the Noble Consort.

Moreover, Noble Consort Xue was only recuperating and not out of favor for any wrongdoing. With one of the two powerful consorts who managed the Harem affairs dethroned, the other would naturally take over again.

Thus, some managers, under the pretext that decisions needed to be made about their respective charges, went to Huaqing Palace to seek an audience with Noble Consort Xue, saying that since Consort Xu De was confined, no one was making decisions about palace affairs, and pleaded for the Noble Consort to intervene.

But Noble Consort Xue declined to emerge, firmly stating, "Although there are rumors in the palace that Sister Xu hurt Sister Lian, I do not believe Sister Xu is that kind of person. Until His Majesty makes a decision, I will not believe it. You all may go back."

She ended up dismissing all the managers who had come to seek refuge with her.

Over at the Imperial Academy.

Lian Musu, knowing that his family was safe, enjoyed his leisure time at the Imperial Academy, still reading his books at his usual pace, as if deaf to the affairs outside his window, focusing solely on the Sage’s Book.

Others did not know what he had written, but he had a clear idea. The second set of exam papers he wrote took a tremendous risk. If the first person who saw them was not the current Son of Heaven, there was a high chance he would not get out unscathed.

Originally, he was not very confident and hesitated, but during the re-examination, after seeing that person’s silhouette in Shanxue Square, he felt absolutely certain that the first one to review his papers must be the current Son of Heaven.

Therefore, he wrote without reservation, firstly because it was what he genuinely wanted to write, and secondly because it was the quickest way to gain recognition, which was the closest path to approaching his dear sister.

But the heart of the Sovereign is impossible to gauge, and he did not know how His Majesty would react upon reading his papers.

He was merely betting based on what he had seen and heard, that His Majesty had grand visions and aspirations, and would not be content with the current situation. With such seething issues in the nation, how could a wise ruler sleep peacefully?

For years, he had the rare opportunity not to be involved in anything and to enjoy such leisure. He treasured these moments.

He was just waiting for the news to arrive, without any rush.

This was making people like Liang Qi and Minister Jia anxious.

Several days in succession passed without any news, leaving them uncertain whether the exam had been passed. Minister Jia went to inquire with Minister Qin.

Minister Qin said that in the current strategy, the best approach was to stay calm amidst activity, and advised them to be patient and not to be hasty.

Every day, people wanted to come to comfort Lian Musu, but when they saw him earnestly reading, they shook their heads and sighed before leaving.

Not until a student whose family worked in the government secretly passed on news from home did people realize there had been a major incident in the palace, His Majesty had sealed the examination papers, and they had not yet been sent for review. Only then did they come to understand and patiently wait.

Those who were curious went to ask the student who brought the news what had happened in the palace, but the student only shook his head, keeping his silence as if under a taboo, and dared not speak of it.

That night, Hu Miaomiao was busy attending to his duties when he received a message sent by carrier pigeon, his agents in the south had sent word back.

He had been as busy as Zhang Qing these past days, with Cao De absent, the Internal Guard Bureau had been far from idle, having been dispatched to form an extensive network.

And he, His Majesty had employed him as a spy, a guard, a palace renovation overseer, and so forth.

He was bustling around so joyfully—what did this indicate? The capable are burdened with more tasks. His Majesty trusted him greatly, a blessing indeed!

But despite being so busy, he had not shed a single pound, instead, growing plumper, his daily laughter resembling that of a Maitreya Buddha.

Receiving the message from the south stirred him immensely; he had been waiting for so long, and finally, it had arrived.

Eager, he hurriedly tore open the paper which was scrawled messily with a few lines that sketched out the many heart-stopping dangers within.

His chubby face twitched, "Not good!"

This matter had to be reported to His Majesty without delay.

The usual smile on his face disappeared in an instant, and his rotund body sprinted away.

No wonder there had been no news from the dispatched agents for so long; it turned out that somewhere a leak had sprung, and a key person had gone missing.

It was with great difficulty that they tracked the person down, only to encounter fierce resistance, and another group already aiming to silence them by assassination, sparking a direct confrontation— one side protecting, the other aiming to kill.

The files they had handled were destroyed, and the County Magistrate who handled them died in the skirmish, with most of the informed parties deceased.

Eventually, they captured another handler from the other side, and the unidentified assassins they fought off, killing a few and letting some escape.

The Shadow Guard also sustained injuries, one seriously, left in the south to recover with one agent to look after him. The rest of the team escorted the key figure back to the Capital City.

The journey back to the Capital was far from smooth, the escaped assassins persistently ambushed them, hunted down most of their carrier pigeons, leaving only one, and with treacherous paths ahead, the travel was delayed, though it was fraught with danger, they narrowly escaped harm each time.

However, just before reaching the Capital, an unknown group of Dead Soldiers appeared, madly blocking their way with a frenzy that had no regard for life, gravely injuring one Shadow Guard, killing another, leaving the rest wounded but alive.

Seeing the urgent situation, his dispatched agents cleverly avoided notice at a critical moment and released a carrier pigeon to report back and request assistance.

What started as a minor case became so complex. What exactly had Beauty Lian’s family encountered to make the people behind the scenes dispatch such desperate Dead Soldiers to intercept them?

The group from Yanqing Mansion earlier and the current assassins and Dead Soldiers, were very likely from the same source.

Interesting, interesting, it makes one wonder which wealthy family in the Capital, backed by whom, would dare to undertake such measures, to order killings from south to north, even daring to attack the Shadow Guard.

How could he miss out on such a fascinating event?

Hu Miaomiao’s face resumed its smile, only this time the smile wasn’t the same as before, it carried a chilling intent to kill, sending a shiver down the spine of whoever saw it.

Meanwhile.

Inside Canglan Court, the Emperor, having kissed Lian Hua in his arms, gently put her down, properly tucking her in before he got up, donned a cape, and stepped out.